Yep. The "Free" players are some of the absolute worst. I've run in to people who flat out say "I don't spend money on games" like its a point of pride to make the rest of us subsidize their gameplay.

The game is only free if your time is worthless.

Frank wrote on Sep 13^th, 2018 at 4:00am:


Those guys piss me off.  I'll admit when I first started playing I had some hang ups with paying money for an on-line game, but if someone has been playing 2, 5, 10 plus years and they're not even premium - they're basically just white trash rednecks and there's nothing you can do to make them spend money on the game.

But they are a minority and honestly, SSG still needs them.  A more active game is going to last longer, even if 10 or even 20% of the players aren't spending money.

What pissed me off was the post on the motherboards about the daily dice sucking.

The new daily dice rewards totally suck.  I throw way more of my dice prizes on the ground now than I ever did before.

Problem is, if anyone at SSG has ever taken a business course, it was something basic at a community college.  They are freaking clueless with how these things work.

They see the daily dice as an introduction to the store, which it absolutely should be - but on the other hand, it absolutely isn't.

First and foremost it needs to be an incentive reward.  You absolutely have to give people a reason and motivation to log into the game every fucking day.  You don't want them playing other games.  You don't want them bored with the game.  You seriously don't want them to not log in for more than a day or two because the longer they stay logged out, the higher probability there is of realizing that they are absolutely wasting their time and life with your game.

A short break can quickly become 6 months, a year, or forever away playing and paying for something else.

You need incentive programs.  Absolutely there should be better programs for subscribers, but you want everyone logging in as much as possible.  The longer they play, the higher chance of them spending money.  I've sworn up and down a half a dozen times I'd never give them another penny and I still end up dropping 50+ bucks every six months or so.  It's not a lot, but it's way more than they'd get if I stopped playing.

And if you're smart, your incentive programs are also a taste of better services you can pay for.  But you don't get people to buy the high price services by giving free samples of the cheapest crap you carry.

You need to give them enough of a taste they realize they need this.  A "free" sample I throw on the ground doesn't motivate me to buy more nor does it make me feel like a valued customer.

"but it's free..."

Eat a dick and learn how to business.

Frank wrote on Sep 13^th, 2018 at 4:00am:


Theres a few reasons why these players aren't sticking around.

1. When DDO became f2p in late 2009 it was revolutionary. Today, DDOs f2p model is incredibly outdated and downright terrible.
2. Back in "classic" you could farm favor, wait for sales, then buy 4-5 packs that allowed one to hit cap and actually become well geared for the endgame.
3. Expansions
4. Short content life cycles.
5. Epic destinies
6. Much more content is needed now to hit cap and to get geared. You cant just buy 4 packs and be good for years.
7. In 2018 theres much better choices for f2p mmos than ddo. In fact I wouldnt want anyone to play ddo in it current state. Bare minimum you need to go VIP and buy an expansion. 

We are off topic from the Daily Dice point Skoodge was trying to make, which I generally agree with.  Make Daily Dice be a free sample (like in the supermarket) designed to get you interested in buying something.   With that in mind, don't put anything in there that isn't going to be interesting.   

At the low rolls, put in low cost, but useful things.   Not junk.  Or things you can't buy.   (Like I get remnants sometimes.   That's not compelling me to buy remnants.   I can't do that).   

On the topic of DDO, DDO is not really free to play.  It is free to try out.   Once you have decided you like it enough, invest the same $60 bucks you would invest in a console game, like Dragon Age, that you can play through in a few weeks.  See how you feel after that if you want to keep playing.
      

Asheras wrote on Sep 13^th, 2018 at 11:12am:


Agreed on all points.

Also the silver rolls need to provide an appreciable quantity of XP. Seriously what the fuck am I gonna do with 300 experience points? At least put in enough that you can conceivable bank the 80k needed to jump to lvl 4 after a TR.

Rose-tinted Goggles wrote on Sep 13^th, 2018 at 12:38pm:


DDO gives you the option to buy the game once and own it forever. I've been playing DDO off and on for 8 years now and only had a sub for part of the last 2. The reason the game was able to retain me was because it gave me the option to buy the packs and simply own them; instead of having to reup a sub every time I wanted to play - and go through the hassle of canceling it every time I needed a break.

Its that tiered model of "pay for the content you want" that makes DDO far superior to locking content behind a monthly sub. You're looking at it in terms of either "pay a sub" or "never pay a dime" - but, seriously, if you buy a $60 points pack during a double bonus points sale(like the first time I ever spent money on the game), you can buy all the packs you'll ever need. If you did the same once a year(and they have double points sales a few times a year) you can access all worthwhile content for $60 a year. Much less than a sub.

Or, you can go the route I went, which was to buy $100 points packs a few times a year, plus any expansions, and end up spending more than a sub. This was all while still not having a sub. I would not have stayed with the game if my only options were "F2P" or "sub". The SSG model arguable does much more for player retention by easing people into the purchasing; rather than creating a scenario where the only way to get the full content is with a monthly fee.

DDO Vault - apply directly to the forehead.

Rose-tinted Goggles wrote on Sep 13^th, 2018 at 3:12pm:


They give you CONTENT for free, but not most of the race/class/QOL/other game options. Otherwise what the hell are people paying for?

Guild Wars has always operated on an entirely different payment model - you just buy the expansions; EG pay for content.

Most other MMOs that switched from a subscription to an "F2P" model would give you 2-3 races, 3-5 classes, and access to only 1 or 2 of dozens of professions/jobs/etc, basically giving you access to only the worst play-style options, and gating EVERYTHING behind a monthly fee(no opportunity to buy the parts you want for a 1-time fee)

Games like Terra, meanwhile, work on a pay-per-click model, with loot crates and pay-to-win crap up the wazoo.

But sure, none of that matters so long as the content is free, right?

noamineo wrote on Sep 13^th, 2018 at 3:40pm:


Okay so lets assume every mmo ive listed gates races/classes behind a pay wall like DDO does (they dont) but gives content for free. You're still leagues ahead of ddo. At least you can play the game for free. Majority of f2p mmos have QOL restrictions. DDO has it too. This is mostly in place for gold farmers/spammers. Not that DDO would have this issue due to its laughably small player base.

You should really try out the mmos ive listed. Their f2p models are amazing compared to DDO.

I honestly dont care what f2p system DDO has. Im just pointing out how bad it is in 2018. Especially compared to newer mmos with far better f2p models. This is just one of the things in a long list of reasons why new player retention is so low.

noamineo wrote on Sep 13^th, 2018 at 6:37pm:


Black Desert Online might be a solid choice. It has the best combat of any mmo out there at least.

Elder Scrolls Online?

Path of Exile?

Rose-tinted Goggles wrote on Sep 13^th, 2018 at 12:38pm:


I don't know what you're smoking, but VIP is by no means required. Most old content is irrelevant to new players. All they really need is Ravenloft (note: does not come with VIP), though Vale of Twilight, Slavers, and WPM would also be worthwhile.


It is interesting that VIP becomes a better and better deal over time to someone who owns no content, since they keep releasing new content though.